Exit polls show Emmanuel Macron has beaten far-right challenger Marine Le Pen to win reelection in the French presidential election. Follow DW for the latest.
Macron has won the election, exit polls show
Incumbent president took 58.2% of the vote ahead of Marine Le Pen’s 41.8% Voter abstention nears record high at 28%
German leaders look to positive future with Macron German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was looking forward to continuing to work with Macron.
The German leader went on to say that French voters sent a strong message of commitment to Europe by choosing the pro-EU Macron over nationalist Marine Le Pen.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also congratulated Macron for his reelection.
“I look forward to continuing our close and friendly cooperation with you over the next five years,” said Steinmeier, who as the German head of state generally maintains a politically neutral position.
“You came into office with a clear commitment to an open world order, a vision for a strong, sovereign Europe and a firm belief in the Franco-German partnership. I am delighted that the majority of French voters support your pro-European course.
Your re-election is also good news for us Germans,” Steinmeier added in a statement.
“Germany wants and needs a strong France. I am confident that Germany and France will cooperate closely, trustfully and successfully in the years to come.”
EU welcomes Macron’s reelection DW correspondent Teri Schultz in Brussels said Macron’s win is being seen as a good result for the European Union, particularly due to the war in Ukraine.
“With Marine Le Pen being a close ally of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, [a Le Pen win] would have thrown the unified response of the European Union and NATO into disarray,” Schultz said. “It is necessary that the EU’s sanctions regime remains strong, there’s another set of sanctions under discussion now, and there can’t be any wavering from France.”
United Europe ‘biggest winner’ in French election, German minister says German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said a united Europe was the biggest winner after President Emmanuel Macron won France’s presidential election.
“This choice was a directional choice. It was about fundamental questions of values. The French have chosen #Macro,” he wrote on Twitter. “This makes the united Europe the biggest winner of this election. Vive la France, vive l’Europe.”
